Penn State dance marathon raises $17 million, beats record by $2 million
Their voices are likely shot, their ankles probably sore and they definitely could use some sleep. But the 700-plus dancers — and thousands more who participated in this year’s Penn State University IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon — know they made history, raising almost $17 million in the fight against childhood cancer,...
Student-run dance marathon raises $16.9 million in pediatric cancer funds
STATE COLLEGE — Hundreds of Penn State students have raised more than $16.9 million for pediatric cancer patients in the annual 46-hour dance marathon known as Thon. The $16,955,683.63 total was announced Sunday afternoon at the conclusion of the Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, billed as the world’s largest...
Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay are on the rebound. This new report says they can help fight climate change
A new report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says efforts to restore oyster populations could have benefits beyond just survival of the species. The report, released last week, outlines strategies for reaping the most benefits from oyster restoration. Allison Colden, Maryland executive director for the foundation, said oysters are “a...
Here’s a look inside Donald Trump’s $355 million civil fraud verdict as an appeals fight loomsVideo
NEW YORK — On the witness stand last year, Donald Trump proclaimed: “I have a lot of cash.” After the eye-popping penalty in his New York civil fraud trial, he’s going to need it — and maybe more. A judge ordered the former president to fork over $355 million of...
Suspect dead amid shooting that claimed lives of 2 officers, 1 first responder in Minnesota
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — A desperate call for help from a home in suburban Minneapolis early Sunday turned deadly for two police officers and a first responder who were shot and killed at the scene, according to officials. The suburban neighborhood in Burnsville, Minnesota, was ringed with police cars that kept...
Over 300 detained in Russia as country mourns the death of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s fiercest foeVideo
Over 300 people were detained in Russia while paying tribute to opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died at a remote Arctic penal colony, a prominent rights group reported Sunday. The sudden death of Navalny, 47, was a crushing blow to many Russians, who had pinned their hopes for the future...
Israel vows to ‘finish the job’ in Gaza as War Cabinet member threatens a Ramadan deadline for Rafah
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday brushed off growing calls to halt the military offensive in Gaza, vowing to “finish the job” as a member of his War Cabinet threatened to invade the southern city of Rafah if remaining Israeli hostages are not freed by...
Trump rails against fraud ruling while campaigning in Michigan
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Former President Donald Trump railed against the judge who slapped him with a $355 million fine in his New York civil fraud trial and went after the long list of prosecutors with cases against him as he campaigned in Michigan on Saturday night while facing penalties...
3 more measles cases confirmed at South Florida elementary school
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Four students at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston have confirmed cases of measles, the Broward School District announced in a news release Saturday. The first case of measles was confirmed Thursday night. Three more cases of the highly contagious illness have been confirmed since, according...
Trump pushes $399 branded shoes a day after $355 million ruling against him
PHILADELPHIA — As he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show On Earth!” Trump was met with loud boos as well as...
Presidents Day: From George Washington’s modest birthdays to big sales and 3-day weekends
NORFOLK, Va. — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic — not a tyrant. And yet the nation will once again commemorate the first U.S. president Monday, 292 years after he...
4.7 magnitude earthquake outside small Texas city among several recently
FALLS CITY, Texas — An earthquake of 4.7 magnitude that struck early Saturday near a small Texas city, one of several that have occurred in the area in recent days, could be felt dozens of miles away, including in San Antonio. There were no immediate reports of major damage or...
Analysis: Aid to Ukraine hinges on House Speaker Johnson
WASHINGTON — When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with congressional leaders in Washington late last year, he told them privately what is now public: With U.S. weapons, they could win the war against Russia, but, without them, Russian President Vladimir Putin would be victorious. In a subsequent meeting with new...
Penn State president could get $1.5 million bonus if she stays through June 2032
Penn State University trustees on Friday showed they want to retain President Neeli Bendapudi long term by approving incentives including a $1.5 million bonus if she stays in office through June 30, 2032. The vote to amend her compensation package came as the state’s flagship public university confronts what some...
Saving democracy is central to Biden’s campaign messaging. Will it resonate with swing state voters?
BETHLEHEM — Just blocks from the shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant, the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley was bustling on a recent day with scores of older people eating lunch. Downstairs, out of sight, a constant stream of visitors was shopping in its massive food pantry. Over the past seven months, the...
Trump avoids ‘corporate death penalty’ in civil fraud case, but his business will still get slammed
NEW YORK — Donald Trump won’t face the corporate death penalty after all. A New York judge on Friday spared the ex-president that worst case punishment as he ruled in a civil case alleging Trump fraudulently misrepresented financial figures to get cheaper loans and other benefits. Still, Trump got slammed...
U.S. envoy says Israel has not presented evidence that Hamas diverted U.N. aid deliveries in Gaza
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting U.N. aid and its recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to distribute the goods safely, a top U.S. envoy said in rare public criticism of Israel. With...
Christian-nation idea fuels U.S. conservative causes, but historians say it misreads founders’ intent
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention Christianity or any specific religion. The Declaration of Independence famously proclaims that people’s rights come from a “Creator” and “Nature’s God” — but doesn’t specify who that is. Yet large numbers of Americans believe the founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation, and...
Explosion at Virginia home kills 1 firefighter and injures 11 others, including 9 firefighters
STERLING, Va. — One firefighter was killed and nine others were injured when an explosion in a Washington, D.C., suburb on Friday leveled a home where they were investigating a gas leak. Two other people were also injured. The firefighters were called to the home in Sterling, Virginia, by a...
Alexei Navalny’s team confirms his death and says his mother is searching for his body
Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson confirmed Saturday that the Russian opposition leader had died at a remote Arctic penal colony and said he was “murdered” but it was unclear where his body was as his family and friends searched for answers. Navalny’s death at age 47 has deprived the Russian opposition of...
Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached planned trajectory in key 2nd test
TOKYO — A new Japanese flagship H3 rocket lifted off from a space station in southwestern Japan on Saturday, successfully reaching a planned trajectory and releasing one of the two payloads in a key second test flight a year after its failed debut launch. The H3 rocket blasted off from...
Donald Trump heading to Philly on Saturday
PHILADELPHIA — Former President Donald Trump is headed to Philadelphia on Saturday to speak at Sneakercon, a large-scale gathering for sneaker enthusiasts taking place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Trump announced he would speakat the convention on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday, and a spokesperson for the...
House lawmakers unveil $66 billion foreign aid, border plan
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of House lawmakers released a $66.3 billion foreign aid and border package Friday that, backers hope, will be an alternative to the Senate-passed national security supplemental. The newly unveiled legislation includes military-only assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — a departure from the $95.3 billion...
‘No evidence’ Russia has decided what to do with emerging anti-satellite weapon, Biden says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday there was no sign Russia has decided to go ahead and deploy an emerging anti-satellite weapon, the disclosure of which has rattled Washington this week. The White House has confirmed that U.S. intelligence officials have information indicating Russia has obtained such a capability,...
Ukraine withdrawing from Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders held out for 4 months
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military chief said early Saturday that he’s withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months. The timing is critical as Russia is looking for a morale boost ahead of the second anniversary Feb. 24...
